1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to the field of delimiting excavation sites, and more particularly, using aerial imagery and white line mark-ups for delimiting a dig area where excavation is planned and providing the marked-up version of the aerial image, via an electronic or tangible delivery system, to another entity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Excavators are required to notify underground facility owners/operators in advance of their excavation activities and to describe and communicate the geographic area of those activities to underground facility owners/operators. The geographic area so described is commonly referred to as “the dig area.” In turn, facility owners/operators are required to determine if they own or operate any underground facilities at an identified dig area. The presence of underground facilities at a dig area is generally detected using a device commonly referred to as a “locate wand.” Locate wands use a number of electronic methods to detect the presence of underground facilities. The presence of those underground facilities, if any, which exist within a dig area is marked using paint or some other physical marking system, such as flags. Paint is generally applied as a sequence of dashes or dots on the surface (grass, dirt, asphalt, concrete, etc.) above the underground facility and is color-coded to indicate to the excavator the type (e.g., gas, water, sewer, power, telephone, cable television, etc.) of the underground facility present. Flags, which also may identify the underground facility using color-coding, can be placed in the ground above the underground facility being marked. Paint and/or flags can be dispensed using various devices. The application of paint, flags, or some other marking object to indicate the presence of an underground facility is called a “locate” or “locate operation.” The marks, for example, paint or flags, resulting from a locate are commonly called underground facility “locate marks.”
Currently, excavators may communicate with facility owners through “one-call centers.” These one-call centers are generally owned, controlled, or funded by underground facility owners, such as telephone companies, cable television multiple system operators, electric utilities, gas utilities, or others. One-call center operations may be managed by a non-profit entity or outsourced to a for-profit firm. Excavators are required to notify one-call centers in advance of their excavation activities and identify through a “locate request” the dig area where individual excavating activities will be performed. Locate requests consist of information supplied by the excavator to the one-call center regarding the specific geographic location of the dig area, date, time, purpose of excavation, and so on. The locate request, in turn, requires activity from an underground facility owner to perform a locate operation in the specified dig area.
One-call centers may receive locate requests from excavators via electronic delivery or verbally through a telephone conversation between the excavator and a human operator working for a one-call center. Whether communicated electronically or verbally, excavators must describe the planned geographic locations of the proposed dig areas. This description is ultimately reduced to text, which, along with other data about a locate request, is communicated to the appropriate underground facility owner or owners responsible for locating any underground facilities within the dig area so described. Textual descriptions of dig areas can be very imprecise as to exact physical locations. In addition, addresses, which are provided, may be unclear, not yet assigned or only indicate cross streets and vague descriptions of the location of the dig area.
On occasion, information provided in the locate request is supplemented by the excavator, who travels to the actual dig area and physically marks the dig area in order to physically delimit the actual area to be excavated. These marks are commonly made using chalk or paint, and are generally known as “white lines.” In some states, the responsible regulatory body may require white lining the path of excavation.